Tractor seat mounting



June 9, 1953 J. BocK 2,641,308

TRACTOR SEAT MOUNTING Filed Nov. 20, 1951 a4 z Z FVG. 2.

y INVENTORA Jose-Pff 500e,

Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,641,308 l TRACTORSEAT MOUNTING Joseph Boek, Kalispell, Mont.

Application November 20, 1951, Serial No. 257,334

3 Claims.

This invention relates to tractor seat mountings, and more particularlyto a tractor seat mounting in which a'tractor seat is pivotally mountedon a hydraulically snubbed spring support for swinging movements betweena forwardly disposed operative position and a rearwardly disposedposition in which it is out of the way of an operator driving thetractor from a standing position.

It is amongthe objects of the present invention to provide an attachmentwhich is interposed between the seat pan. and seat support of anexisting tractor seat assembly to provide freedom of swinging movementsof the seat pan about a generally horizontal axis between a forwardoperative position and a rearward inoperative position; which requiresonly minor modications of the existing seat support for itsinstallation; which resiliently retains the seat pan in both itsoperative and inoperative positions; which does not interfere in any waywith the operation of the tractor or cause any looseness of the seatwhen in operative position; and which vis simple and durable inconstruction, economical to manufacture, easy to install, and positiveand effective in use.

Other objects and advantages will becomeapparent from a consideration ofthe following description and the appended claims in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a springsupported, hydraulicallysnubbed seat assembly with means illustrative-of the invention pivotallyconnecting the seat to the seat support;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure2.

With continued reference to the drawing, the seat support comprises apedestal I mounted on the tractor platform II and including an upwardlyand forwardly inclined portion I2 bifurcated to receive the lower frontend of a tubular seat post I3 and apertured to receive a pivot pin I4which extends through the bifurcated upper front portion of the pedestaland through the seat post adjacent the lower forward end of the latterto pivotally connect the seat post to the pedestal for swinging movementabout an axis substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane includingthe longitudinal center line of the associated tractor.

The seat post I3 has a bend, as indicated at I5, intermediate the lengththereof, and the portion of the seat post between the bend I5 and thepivot pin I4 is rearwardly and upwardly inclined, while the portion ofthe seatpost at the side of the bend I5 remote from the pivot pin I4 issubstantially horizontally disposed. The longitudinal center line of theseat post is substantially in orparallel to the above-mentioned verticalplane which includes `the longitudinal center line of the Aassociatedtracton An arm I6 is bifurcated at one end to provide spaced apart legsIa and Ib secured at their distal ends to the pedestal I0 andthis armextends upwardly and rearwardly from the rear side of the pedestal IIJand is provided at itsI rear end with a substantially horizontallydisposed spring support Il. A clamp. bracket I8 is secured on therearward portion of vthe seat post I3 and comprises a pair of members'I9 and 29 of channel-shaped cross-section disposed at` respectivelyopposite sides of the seat post and each having 'a web or bight portiontransverselyv curved so that the opposed members 'provide asubstantially tubular structure receiving the adjacent end portion ofthe seat post, and each member has a pair of spaced apart andsubstantially `parallel legs or flange portions extending from the sameside of the web portion. Theopposite sides of the seat post I3arereceived inthe concavities of the web portions-of the correspondingbracket members I9 and 20, and the bracket members are rigidly securedto the seatlpost'by suitable means, such as welding, or by boltsextending through the bracket members andholding them firmly-against thecorresponding side surfaces of the post. The bracket members have theirupper flanges disposed substantiallyrin a common plane and their lowerflanges also` disposed substantially in a common plane which is placedbelow and substantially parallel to- Ithe plane of the upper flanges,both of theseplanes being substantially horizontally disposed andparallel to the longitudinal center line' of the rearward portion of theseat post.

A spring abutment plate ZI of circular shape is disposed below the lowerflanges of the bracket VI8 and secured to these flanges'by suitablemeans,

such as the bolts 22, and a helically wound spring 24 of partly conicalshape is disposed between the spring support Il and the abutment plate2l with its smaller end resting on the spring support and its larger endengaging the under side of the abutment plate.

A hydraulic snubber 25 of well known construction is connected at oneend to the pedestal I9 at the rear upper corner of the-pedestal byapivotal yconnection -26 and is connected at-its upper end to a lugstructure 21 projecting downwa'rdly and rearwardly from the seat post I3adjacent the bend I therein by a pivotal connection 28.

A seat pan 30 of well known construction is disposed above the upperflanges of the bracket members I9 and 20, and is provided on its bottomwith a lug or socket structure 3I of rectangular shape having aperturesdisposed one adjacent each corner thereof for receiving bolts forconnecting the seat to the upper flanges of the clamp bracket members.Normally, the seat pan is secured directly to the upper flanges of theclamp bracket members, and the seat is thus rigidly connected to theseat post I3 and cannot be swung or tilted relative to the seat post.

The arrangement so far described is already in existence, andconstitutes no part of the present invention, except in the combinationthereof with the hinge means provided by this invention Vfor giving tothe seat pan a freedom of swinging movement between a forward operativeposition and a rearward inoperative position.

It is at times necessary for the operator to drive the tractor from astanding position so that he can more closely observe the operation of.tractor-drawn machinery or the vdistance of the tractor from cropplants, obstacles, ditches, et cetera. When the operator is standing onthe tractor platform II, the seat pan 38 in its normal, forward positioninterferes with the necessary movements lof the operator in handling thetractor, and becomes Aa lsource of ymajor inconvenience. The hinge meansof the present invention permits `swinging the seat pan to a rearwardposition where it is :out of the way 'of an voperator standing on thetractor platform and driving the tractor, and comprises a hinge bracket34 secured to the spring abutment plate 2l and having hinge sleeves atthe rear end of the seat post I3, a `hinge plate .35 of rectangularshape :rigidly secured to the seat pan 38 by the lug structure 3l, andbolts 32, the bolts ,normally used to secure the seat pan to the rclampbracket being omitted, and having a hinge sleeve disposed between thehinge sleeves on the bracket 34, .a hinge pin 36 extending through thehinge sleeves and pivo'tally connecting the hinge plate to the hingebracket, a substantially horizontally disposed rod 31 positioned belowand somewhat rearwardly of the hinge pin A36 and secured to the hingebracket 'by struts 38 and 39, arms 4D and 4I projecting outwardly onefrom each side vof the hinge plate 35 at the forward end of the hingeplate and tension springs -42 and 43 connected between the rod 31 `atthe respectively opposite ends thereof and the outer ends of thecorresponding arms 4U and 4I to resiliently hold 'the seat pan Yineither 'its forward operative position or its rearward inoperativeposition.

The hinge bracket 34 comprises a pair of .flat bars 45 and 45 disposedin spaced apart and substantially 'parallel relationship to each other,and secured on the upper surface of the spring abutment plate 2l inposition such that they are 'substantially equally spaced :from andparallel to a vertical plane including 'the longitudinal center line ofthe `seat post I3. VHinge sleeves 41 and -48 `are provided on the bars45 `and 43, respectively, at the rear ends of the bars, and :above theupper surface of the spring abutment plate 2|. The 'bars "are providedwith :longitudinally spaced apertures through which vthe lbolts 22`extend, the bolts also extending through corre- .sponding apertures inthe abutment plate ,2L

4 There are four of the bolts 22 disposed one near each end of each ofthe bars and 46.

As explained above, the rod 31 is substantially horizontally disposed,and this rod is substantially perpendicular to the vertical planeincluding the longitudinal center line of the post I3 and extendssubstantially equal distances to opposite sides of such plane withl itsends extending outwardly beyond the corresponding bars 45 and 46., as isclearly illustrated in Figure 2, and vthe struts 38 and 33 arevconvergently inclined upwardly and forwardly from locations adjacentthe respectively opposite ends of the rod 31 to the rear ends of thecorresponding bars 45 and 46.

The hinge plate 35 is provided near its rear end with a hinge sleeve l49on its under surface, which hinge sleeve .is disposed between the hingesleeves 41 and 48 on the hinge bracket 34, the sleeves 41 and 48 beingin longitudinal alignment with each other.

As stated above, the hinge pin 33 extends through the hinge sleeves 41,48 and 49, yand hingedly connects the seat-carrying plate 35 to thehinge bracket 34 secured to the spring abutment plate 2 I, which is inturn rigidly `Secured t0 the seat post I3 by the clamp bracket I3..

The tension springs 42 and 43 are inclined upwardly and forwardly, whenthe seat is in its forward operative position, as illustrated in Figure1, from the corresponding ends of the rod 31 to the outer ends -of thecorresponding arms 48 and 4I on the hinge plate 35, and are so relatedto the hinge pin 36 that when the .seat is :moved from its forward toits :rearward position, 'these springs pass .over the `ends of the.hinge pin and constitute toggle springs which resiliently .hold theseat vpan in either of its two positions.

The invention `:may .be embodied in other specific forms withoutydeparti-r-ig from the spirit or .essential characteristics thereof. Thepresent embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the :invention beingindicated by the Aap pended claims rather Vthan by the foregoingdescription, and all changes coming within 'the meaning and range bf:equivalency of the .claims are, therefore, intended :to he embracedltherein.

What is claimed is: I

1. In a tractor seat assembly including -a tractor-mounted pedestal, a`seat post pivotally connected at one end to ysaid pedestal and yeX-tending upwardly and rearwardly of the associated tractor from said oneend, clamp 'brackets secured on said `post adjacent the other endthereof, a spring abutment plate car-ried by said brackets below said'pos-t, a spring support carried by said pedestal Ibelow said springabutment plate, a compression spring ldisposed between said abutmentplate and -said spring support resiliently -supporting the rear end ofsaid post, a hydraulic snubber connected 'between said pedestal and saidpost controlli-ng the faction of said compression spring, and a seat pandisposed above said clamp vbrackets 'at the upper side vof the latter, ahinge mounting v`'for 4said seat pan comprising bars secured to saidAclamp brackets in spaced apart and substantially parallel relations'hipto each other and said lseat post, hinge sleeves disposed one on each ofv'sa-id 'bars at the rear ends thereof, a rod disposed .below :the rearends of said bars and extending transversely thereof with :its endsprojecting .outwardly of the fcorresponding bars, struts :connectingsaid rod to .said bars., a plate disposed between said brackets and saidseat pan and secured to the latter, a hinge sleeve on said plate at therear end of the latter and disposed between the hinge sleeves on saidbars, a hinge pin extending through said hinge sleeves and having itsaxis substantially at right angles to the longitudinal center line ofsaid post, arms projecting one from each side of said plate at the frontend thereof. and tension springs connected one between each end of saidrod and each of said arms at the outer ends of said arms.

2. In atractor seat assembly including a seat post, clamp bracketssecured to said seat post adjacent fone end thereof, a spring abutmentplate secured to said clamp brackets at one side of said seat post and aseat pan disposed adjacent the` side of said clamp brackets remote fromsaidabutment plate, means pivotally connecting said seat pan to saidclamp brackets comprising hinge brackets secured to said clamp bracketsand each having a hinge sleeve at one end thereof, a hinge plate securedto said seat pan above said hinge brackets and having a hinge sleeve atone end thereof disposed in transverse alignment with the hinge sleeveson said hinge brackets, a hinge pin extending through said hinge sleevesand pivotally connecting said hinge plate to said hinge brackets, meanssupported on said hinge brackets providing spring anchors disposedrespectively at the outer sides of said hinge brackets and spaced fromthe sides of the latter remote from said hinge plate, tension springsconnected at corresponding ends thereof one to each of said springanchors, and means connecting said tension springs at their other endsto said hinge plate at the end of the latter remote from said hinge pin.

3. In a tractor seat assembly including a seat post, clamp bracketssecured to said seat post adljacent one end of the latter, a springabutment plate secured to said clamp brackets at one side 'of said seatpost and a seat pan disposed adjacent the side of said clamp bracketsopposite said abutment plate, means pivotally connecting said seat panto said clamp brackets comprising hinge brackets secured to said clampbrackets and each having a hinge sleeve at one end thereof, a hingeplate secured to said seat pan above said hinge brackets and having ahinge sleeve at one end thereof disposed in transverse alignment withthe hinge sleeves on said hinge brackets, a hinge pin extending throughsaid hinge sleeves and pivotally connecting saidf hinge plates to saidhinge brackets, means supported on said rhinge brackets providing springanchors disposed respectively at the outer sides of said hinge bracketsand spaced from the sides of the latter remote from said hinge plate,tension springs connected at correspondingv ends thereof one to each ofsaid spring anchors, and means 1a plane which includes the longitudinalcenter line of said seat post and is disposed perpendicular to the planeof' said spring abutment plate.

JOSEPH BOCK.

References cited in the nieof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 709,619 Wangerin Sept. 23, 1902 2,534,386 Stewart Dec. 19,1950 2,563,277 Roeder Aug. 7, 1951

